No word on federal aid for blaze
Brewer requested funds for areas hit by Yarnell Hill Fire
Twenty days after Gov. Jan Brewer requested that the Yarnell Hill Fire be declared a federal disaster, Arizona officials were still awaiting a decision by President Barack Obama’s administration on Monday.
If fully approved, the disaster designation would provide money to residents affected by the blaze, which, according to Brewer, destroyed 108 homes and damaged 23 more.
Representatives for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Arizona Division of Emergency Management and the Governor’s Office said federal officials are not required to act within a certain time and there is no “typical” timeline because each disaster is unique.
Andrew Wilder, the governor’s spokesman, said Brewer wants her request reviewed quickly. Asked Friday whether federal officials have acted quickly enough, Wilder would not comment.
“We are hopeful for an expeditious review, but it’s on them to do it,” Wilder said. “We’re not going to sit back and just wait, but at the same time, it’s up to them to decide. We would like a response — a quick response. We are not at the point where we are going to comment on the time (it has taken).”
Brewer first asked Obama to declare a disaster on July 9, requesting that he also allow residents to apply for housing-assistance funds and money for “necessary expenses and serious needs” that insurance doesn’t cover.
U.S. Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake, Arizona Republicans, sent a letter to Obama asking that he “expeditiously consider” Brewer’s request.
“It’s time to check and see (where the process is),” Flake told on Monday. “For the folks in Yarnell, going back to their homes, or what’s left of them, it’s still a rough deal. Those who lost property would most likely be affected by this declaration. When you lose 100 structures, that’s a lot of people affected.”
A McCain spokesman declined to comment.
FEMA verbally asked the Governor’s Office for additional information. On July 12, Brewer wrote a letter providing more detailed information about early damage estimates and state programs being used to assist residents.
In that letter, Brewer said that FEMA, based on a preliminary damage assessment, estimated the cost of the individual assistance program at $2.2 million. Of that, almost $80,000 is for temporary housing, nearly $50,000 is for repairs, more than $2 million is for replacement costs and nearly $47,000 for “other needs.”
Brewer wrote that 15 destroyed homes may be ineligible for assistance because they may be secondary residences. Brewer wrote that “a significant portion” of the remaining destroyed homes are uninsured or underinsured based on informal polling of residents.
Brewer wrote that the Arizona Department of Insurance is providing information to residents to work with insurance companies to recover losses. And the Department of Economic Security is enrolling new clients with a nutritional-assis- tance program to help with the costs incurred during the extended evacuation.
Brewer wrote that Arizona does not have the resources to address the communities’ housing needs: “This community has been truly decimated by this disaster.”
“A 20 percent loss of housing is significant for any community; however, in a rural, isolated area, where a high percentage of residents live below the poverty level, this task becomes even more difficult,” Brewer’s letter said. “This incident is of such severity and magnitude that an effective response is beyond the capability of the state and the affected local governments,” Brewer wrote. “Supplementary federal assistance is necessary for this community to recover.”
A FEMA spokesman said the agency is working with the state to review the request “as expeditiously as possible.” Typically, he said, such a review does not take long, but he declined to say when federal officials may respond.
According to the FEMA website, disaster aid generally can be used to provide “disaster housing” for up to to 18 months, repair homes and replace damaged items to make homes habitable. Disaster grants can cover expenses not covered by insurance and other programs, such as replacement of personal property as well as transportation, medical, dental and funeral expenses.
Brewer is also seeking a physical-disaster declaration from the U.S. Small Business Administration, which would allow eligible homeowners to borrow up to $200,000 to repair or replace damaged primary residences. Also under that program, homeowners and renters could borrow up to $40,000 to replace damaged personal property, including vehicles.
Rep. Andy Tobin, R-Paulden, represents the area affected by the fire and has been working with public officials to help the community fix or otherwise resolve issues related to the fire.
“I would love to see more being done more quickly,” he said. “But I’ve not been disappointed (by state and federal officials). With the immediate response, they were quick to act and, I think, (residents) have been very thankful.”
Tobin and Rep. Chad Campbell, D-Phoenix, said they plan to meet soon to talk about Arizona’s emergency-response capabilities, including how state officials can more quickly free up state resources on a larger scale.